Day 3: Brinn Bevan

We now turn our attention to the male gymnasts for our #countdowntoRio and just after his twitter has been officially verified (“been waiting for this day a long time”!), it’s only fitting that we catch up with the incredible story of Team GB’s Brinn Bevan.

Brinn, alongside Leeds’ Nile Wilson and fellow Essex boy Jay Thompson (shoutout for his recent comeback after multiple injuries!), was one of Britain’s finest juniors, helping the team to European Championship Gold in 2012 and 2014. However, a back injury caused him to miss the rest of the season. Fighting back, he followed this up with a terrific bronze medal on pommel at the 2015 European Games in Baku and helped Great Britain qualify for Rio after a silver medal team performance at the World Championships.

XXX of ZZZ competes in the (discipline & session name) during day eight of the Baku 2015 European Games at the National Gymnastics Arena on June 20, 2015 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In 2013, Brinn became an ambassador for the Dutch company The Hard Way to Success, who support and follow the progress and inspirational stories of many international budding gymnasts. Check out his mini documentary here.

His words “tough times don’t last but tough people do” (tattooed on his right side, for the more keen sighted) seem strangely prophetic after a dodgy vault landing and a horrendous double leg fracture at the end of last year appeared to have crushed his Rio dreams, with the BBC reporting that there was only a very ‘small chance’ of him making the Games. Incredibly, after intense rehab and heaps of positivity and self-belief, Brinn was training a double Tsukahara only four months after surgery!

He has shown tremendous resolve to recover so quickly, and after following his progress and training over the past few months, it’s hard to think of someone who deserves a shot at Rio more. Like fellow teammate, reigning World Champion Max Whitlock, at South Essex Gym under the tutelage of Scott Hann, Brinn is a very accomplished pommel horse worker as well as really consistent all-around.

The British team, after their historic team silver last year, have great potential, with Kristian Thomas covering the power events, Nile Wilson the strength events, especially High Bar, and the two best in the world on pommel in the shape of Louis Smith and Max Whitlock. Max, who possesses the elegance as well as the confident assurance of a true champion, offers our best chance of a medal in the all-around as well.

Brinn’s journey to Rio has been especially poignant and incredible because of a promise made to his father, Glynn, in 2009, just before his untimely death from cancer. Then, he vowed to reach the Olympics – it was just a dream, but has now become reality. We’re rooting for you in Rio, Brinn!